Who was Randy Pausch, and what is this comic about?

Randy Pausch (1960–2008) was verified through Carnegie Mellon University records, CMU's Last Lecture archive, The New York Times, and The Guardian. These sources establish his death on July 25, 2008 from complications of pancreatic cancer at age 47, his role as a Carnegie Mellon computer science professor, his work on Alice and the Entertainment Technology Center, and the September 18, 2007 Last Lecture delivered after he learned his cancer had returned and time was short. The comic treats the terminal prognosis as the mortality hinge: Pausch did not deny death, but converted a public deadline into a final teaching artifact. His worth lies in making computer science feel like a playground for imagination and in leaving a usable lesson about work, family, gratitude, and courage under a visible clock.

Sources
Page 1 of Randy Pausch: Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch is introduced as the Carnegie Mellon professor who made play serious and faced a terminal deadline.
Randy Pausch is introduced as the Carnegie Mellon professor who made play serious and faced a terminal deadline.
Page 2 of Randy Pausch: Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture - His childhood dreams become teaching tools, virtual worlds, Alice, and student-centered learning.
His childhood dreams become teaching tools, virtual worlds, Alice, and student-centered learning.
Page 3 of Randy Pausch: Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture - The pancreatic cancer recurrence turns time into brutal arithmetic.
The pancreatic cancer recurrence turns time into brutal arithmetic.
Page 4 of Randy Pausch: Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture - The Last Lecture becomes a refusal to stage his own funeral and a lesson about dreams, brick walls, gratitude, and borrowed time.
The Last Lecture becomes a refusal to stage his own funeral and a lesson about dreams, brick walls, gratitude, and borrowed time.
Page 5 of Randy Pausch: Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture - The lecture spreads through screens, media, and a bestselling book.
The lecture spreads through screens, media, and a bestselling book.
Page 6 of Randy Pausch: Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture - The public lesson is reframed as a private map for his children and family.
The public lesson is reframed as a private map for his children and family.
Page 7 of Randy Pausch: Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture - His legacy remains as a practical instruction: build joy, teach well, leave useful traces.
His legacy remains as a practical instruction: build joy, teach well, leave useful traces.
Randy Pausch Obituary Comic - Randy Pausch: The Last Lecture | Memento Mori Obituary Comics